# Wineador Help! To Vinotemp or try something new?



## bradfordcharles (Jun 28, 2011)

Hi all,

New Puffer, trying to decide what kind of cooler to buy for my wineador conversion. I have already more than filled my junk 50 ct. chinese-made humidor, and it's time for something nice.

I know that the Vinotemp 28 is the standard, but I'm looking at a Haier 32 bottle. It is thermoelectric, which is key, but I want opinions if possible on whether or not it would be suitable or close to as good as the Vinotemp.

I will be designing custom shelving out of SC for the conversion, with details to come, and I think I could get pretty creative with the Haier. There is a lot of space in the door...

Also, unrelated to which of the few I choose, I'd like opinions on whether or not it would be possible to install a lock. Not a must, but it owuld be nice for convenience and security.

I can't post links, as my post count is not high enough, but the model number of the Haier is HVDW32ABB.

Thanks in advance!
Brad


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## ShortFuse (Jun 6, 2011)

I got a NewAir28. Its about half the price of a Vinotemp. It looks good from the pics my wife sent me. I'll be seeing it in a couple of weeks when I get home. You should be able to install a hasp on the door and padlock it. Not sure how aesthetically pleasing that would be, but it would be secure! If you dig around all the different threads or search by the model type, you'd be surpirsed what you come up with as people have made stuff from 12 to 60 bottle coolers from various manufacturers. There are also some guys that make shelves(Forest aka Winedor), if you dont have access to all the tools or time (me). 

Welcome to Puff.:yo:


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## Casey Jones (May 13, 2011)

I got the NewAir 28 too. Love it. Dying to put in the drawers that Forrest is making for me.


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## RetiredNavyIC (Jun 3, 2011)

Casey Jones said:


> I got the NewAir 28 too. Love it. Dying to put in the drawers that Forrest is making for me.


Funny, I just got a Newair and ordered drawers from Forrest also. How long did it take you to get the plastic smell out?

I let mine air out for 4 days or so and the smell was gone, but the smell returned when I turned it on. It's now been running for about 4 days and still has the scent of plastic when I first open the door.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

I had a Haier I used for actual wine cooling... it lasted a year and gave out..... Id get a newaire or vino. I think amazon ihaving a sale on wine coolers going on now too btw.


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## RetiredNavyIC (Jun 3, 2011)

I went through a lot of info and reviews for these thermoelectric wine coolers and for all of them that is a common theme: they last for a year or two. I just went with the lowest priced model I could find and am hoping that it will last longer since I'm using it at the highest temp setting.


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## Casey Jones (May 13, 2011)

RetiredNavyIC said:


> Funny, I just got a Newair and ordered drawers from Forrest also. How long did it take you to get the plastic smell out?
> 
> I let mine air out for 4 days or so and the smell was gone, but the smell returned when I turned it on. It's now been running for about 4 days and still has the scent of plastic when I first open the door.


I just got mine yesterday. From some suggestions on here, i'm going to fill it up with crumpled up news paper for a few days and see if that takes away the smell.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Dont do it! It'll cost you a fortune as filling it to the brim is unavoidable. :mischief::mischief::mischief:


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## bradfordcharles (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the info, everyone! I'm now trying to hold myself back from the devil site long enough to build my funds up for my wineador. I've ruled out the Vinotemp... want to try something different. It's either the Haier, or a much more complicated dual door compressor cooler (which means I would have to disconnect the compressor unit and install circulation fans). 

Opinions on if it's even a reasonable idea, or should I just stick with the Haier? Someone else on the forum did the same fridge, and from what I gathered, he's loving it. It would probably save me some money over the compressor unit, which I could use on some nice SC drawers and custom design :smoke2:


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

As long as it is an electrothermic model you should have zero issues.


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## Wineador (Apr 11, 2011)

bradfordcharles said:


> or a much more complicated dual door compressor cooler (which means I would have to disconnect the compressor unit and install circulation fans).


Something like this? 









This actually has circulation fans built into it on both sides. I like the locking doors too.

Model info: http://www.amazon.com/Danby-DWC2121BLS-Bottle-Built-2-Door/dp/B0014IINNS


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## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

I would try whatever you feel comfortable going with. Vinotemp gets awful marks from consumer reports. Unfortunately they don't do brand reliability on wine coolers. If Amazon reviews are to be taken seriously (I don't take any 1 star reviews seriously on there) then Haier is the least reliable followed not far behind by everything else including Vinotemp. But, most VT problems were with poor shipping as opposed to the unit failing which are what most Haier complaints seem to be about. 

I also think the thermoelectric technology is less reliable which may compound the issues. The only plus to using them for cigar storage is that you are putting a lot less strain on the system keeping it at 65 compared to 55 or lower for wine.

I highly suggest picking up a used one on Craigslist. Tons of people get in and out of the wine hobby and there are 10-20 a week that are for sale on there in PHX every week. You can get any size you want for 100-150 if not less. If it breaks in a year, get another one. 3 years of that is still less than buying 1 new and praying it lasts. I got the VT-28 for $100. It's awesome for someone in the desert that has a relatively high house temp (78-85).


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## choinga (Aug 11, 2010)

I've always been leery of doing anything in ANY wine cooler - I've gone through 4 of the 12 to 28 bottle one's (all different brands) and EVERYTHING is a piece of crap. They all either quit working or had something go wrong with them within a year. I upgraded (and spent a small fortune) on a 80 bottle that's very efficient (even set at 59 degrees it hardly runs), but even then - I've only had it for a few months so the jury's still out.

I currently have an Avanti dual zone that I had to unplug because it just decided that it was going to run all the time (and still not cool the unit down enough). I've had that thing less than a year and I think I paid close to $400 for it.

So, as much as I'd like to make the investment, I just don't trust any of them - unless you spend big bucks, reliability is a huge factor and the last thing I need with as much as I travel for work is for my wineador to go on the fritz and stop working altogether or run all the time, not keep temp, etc...

I have an end-table humi I've been using for over a year now. In the summer (I live in Texas), my temp stays at about 71-74 and rock solid 65-68% RH. In the winter, the temp will drop as low as 66 or so. I've never had any problem with any of my sticks.


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